Secret Child Stars

Naya Rivera

Rivera starred as Hillary Winston on the ABC Family sitcom "The Royal Family" in the early 1990s, but didn't make it big in Hollywood until 2009 when she was cast as mean cheerleader Santana on "Glee." —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, ABC Family)

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Actors such as Lindsay Lohan and Macaulay Culkin are famous for being child stars… but there is a whole other crew of actors—including Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal and Katherine Heigl—who got their Hollywood starts during their youth as well. Keep clicking to see which celebrities secretly started out in the business as kids. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images)

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He captured the hearts of millions in "The Notebook," but Ryan Gosling has been on the acting scene for much longer. He joined the likes of Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera as a cast member on the Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Club," but was unable to secure the same level of success as his counterparts. Gosling went on to act on several television shows, but eventually decided to pursue a serious movie career. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Disney)

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He is best known as "Spider-Man," but Tobey Maguire got his true acting start as a kid in 1989's "The Wizard." Maguire worked steadily through the 1990s, but didn't hit it big until he nabbed the role of Peter Parker. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Universal)

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Kaley Cuoco is best known for playing Penny in the hit CBS series "The Big Bang Theory," but she's actually been acting since she was 6 years old. In 1992, she got her first big-screen role in "Quicksand: No Escape," which starred Donald Sutherland and Felicity Huffman. Fast-forward 20-odd years later, and Kaley is now a big showbiz name with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Mark Davis/Getty Images, MCA/Universal)

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Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the most recognizable actors on the planet, but it is his little-known role in 1991's "City Slickers" that earns him a spot on this list. Gyllenhaal, who was just 11 at the time, appears as Billy Crystal's son in the film. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images, Castle Rock Entertainment)

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Before she became an international star, Scarlett Johansson was just your average child actor. ScarJo's first role was as 12-year-old Amanda in 1996's "Manny & Lo," but the part didn't bring her major fame. A starring role in "The Horse Whisperer" a few years later cemented her spot as a rising star, and the rest is history. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Pope Productions)

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt's roles in "Inception" and "500 Days of Summer" make it easy to forget that he started his career on television. Gordon-Levitt starred as Tommy Solomon in the sitcom "3rd Rock from the Sun" for years, but his first acting role came much earlier. At age 7, he played Rounder in a made-for-television movie called "Stranger on My Land." —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Taft Entertainment Television)

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Rivera starred as Hillary Winston on the ABC Family sitcom "The Royal Family" in the early 1990s, but didn't make it big in Hollywood until 2009 when she was cast as mean cheerleader Santana on "Glee." —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, ABC Family)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Natalie Portman found mainstream success when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy in 1997, but the actress already had a few acting gigs under her belt by that time. A 13-year-old Portman nabbed the role of Mathilda in the 1994 French thriller "Léon: The Professional." —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Gaumont)

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Angelina Jolie went straight to the A-list in the 1990s, but it is her often-forgotten role as Tosh in 1982's "Lookin' to Get Out" that lands her on this list. Jolie was just 7 years old at the time of filming. Her father, actor Jon Voight, co-wrote and starred in the movie. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Lorimar Productions)

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Katherine Heigl found success as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" in 2005, but she started her acting career much earlier. Heigl made her on-screen debut at the age of 14 in the 1992 movie "That Night." —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Alcor Films)

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She plays a pioneering business woman on "Mad Men," but Peggy Olsen isn't Elisabeth Moss' first television role. Moss appeared in the television film "Bar Girls" at the age of eight. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Lifetime)

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Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, didn't get his Hollywood start as a rapper. For eight years, he played the role of Jimmy Brooks on "Degrassi: The Next Generation," before deciding to switch to music. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Waterworks LLC)

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Anna Paquin is best known for her current role as Sookie Stackhouse on "True Blood," but Paquin has been in the business for decades. In 1994, Paquin took home an Academy Award her supporting role in the film "The Piano." She was only 11 years old. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff (Photos by Getty Images, Australian Film Commission)

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